In the wee hours of Nov. 17, in the small town of Polkowice in southwestern Poland, if you had been listening closely you might have heard some shrieking and gleeful cries of "Yeah, Stanford! Go, Nerd Nation!"

Nnemkadi Ogwumike, playing professionally in Poland this fall, hopes she didn't wake her neighbors. But she couldn't refrain from celebrating as she watched the streaming video of the Stanford women, led by her little sister Chiney, take down top-ranked Baylor.

"I was screaming at the top of my lungs in my apartment at 4 a.m.!" Nneka said by e-mail. "I couldn't be more proud of my sister and my teammates."

This year is Life After Nneka for the Stanford Cardinal. The multi-talented forward who became the WNBA's first overall draft pick for the L.A. Sparks and later Rookie of the Year, was a steady, galvanizing force at Stanford, playing in four Final Fours and providing mature leadership from the day she arrived. No one could be sure how the young Cardinal team would survive without her.

"We cried for a long time, sitting in the office, looking at (film of) Nneka," Tara VanDerveer said. "How are we going to score?"

But it turns out that Life After Nneka is good. With junior Chiney as the catalyst and huge contributions from other young players, Stanford toppled Brittney Griner and Baylor, ending the reigning national champion's winning streak at 42. Sadly - especially in this era of unlimited channels broadcasting nonsense like poker and dirt bikes - the Final Four rematch from the Rainbow Wahine tournament wasn't televised.

"It really did happen," VanDerveer said. "It was not staged."

The proof? Stanford - which plays at Gonzaga on Sunday - is ranked No. 1 in the country. Not what many expected after the departure of Nneka, who served as a big sister to every Cardinal player last season.

"I'm not the least bit surprised," Nneka said. "There was never a shadow of a doubt in my mind that my sisters would keep upholding the Stanford legacy."

But Nneka isn't completely gone. Chiney, whose frenetic style always contrasted with her sister's calm presence, wrote the initials N.O. on her wrist before the Baylor game.

"I pretend to have her out there," said Chiney, who talks and texts with her sister constantly. "I'm always thinking, 'What would Nneka do?' She's my sanity if I try to get too crazy. I looked at my wrist and it helped me relax."

VanDerveer laughed when she heard that.

"Why didn't she tell me that, so I could do it too?" VanDerveer said.

VanDerveer was clearly pleased with the performance, encouraging her players to just have fun even though they were playing the most dominant player in the game and the team that knocked them out in the Final Four last April in Denver.

In preparing for the game, VanDerveer and her staff cut up the Final Four game but tried not to emphasize the presence of Nneka, who had 22 points against Baylor. They were concerned the young team would feel overwhelmed by the thought of trying to fill those shoes. But Chiney - who had fouled out in that national semifinal - asked to watch Nneka specifically so she could see how her sister played Griner.

"I relied on Nneka so much," Chiney said. "She was always the first option offensively. Defensively, she was the catalyst. It's tough without her, but at the same time it's exciting. It's a huge opportunity to discover how good we can be.

"We needed a big sister last year because we had six freshmen. But we've matured, and a lot of people are eager to step up."

Stanford has gotten early contributions from the team's lone senior, Joslyn Tinkle, junior Mikaela Ruef and sophomore guard Amber Orrange. But there's still an Ogwumike leading the team.

"Chiney is a great leader, and she needs to stay in the game and not foul out," VanDerveer said. "She's been through this before. Nneka left her in high school and she adjusted. I'm the one who hasn't been through it."

An upset of Baylor isn't an indicator of how the season will go. As usual, the Cardinal will have a tough early season: In addition to today's visit to Spokane, there is a trip to Tennessee and a visit from No. 2 UConn this month. And, of course, the entire Pac-12 will be looking to unseat young Stanford.

"Many forget that with every successful team at Stanford there's a common denominator: Tara," Nneka said. "She knows how to use all her resources and wisdom to bring the best out of players year after year."

Nneka will continue to keep track of Stanford despite the 6,000-mile distance and nine-hour time difference. She's scheduled to play in Poland until she returns for the WNBA season in April, which mean she'll be there throughout the NCAA Tournament.

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